Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-06
Further Particulars of the Vancouver
Coal Mine Explosion in British
Columbia.
Seventeen Victims are Brought up
Dead, and One Hundred and Forty
More are Still Imprisoned.
1t Is Thought to Have b cen An Explosion
OF Coal Dust-But Little Hopes for
the EntOmbed Miners
Canada.
vANCoUvER MINE DISASTER.

NANAIMo, B. c., May 5-Ten white
men and seven Cinnamon were taken
from the Vancouver Coal Mine dead.
There are now imprisoned in the mine
ninety white men of different natiOnalities
and fifty Cinnamon. 1t is feared all will
perish of sufocation. Samuel Hudson
who went down to rescue friends died
from the effect of the after damp His j.
brave deeds were among the bright
things in the carnival of misery. Gangs
of men have been endeavOring to ex-
tinQuish the flames in No. shaft and
these are believed now to be under con-
troll. 1t is absolutely impossible to
get a. the imprisoned men till
the fire is subdued, for if more
air were sent in it would force the gas
into the fire and cause a second disaster.
Even now fears are entertained that the
whole place will be blown up. black
pail hangs over the city. Business houses
are all closed. TIE collieries are shut up
and the entire population is gath
ereo st the scene of Of the disaster. Ter
ror-stricken wives and children and sor-
rowing fathers hover in the vicinity and
moan their terrible stfiictiOn. The cause
of the explosion is unknown. 1t is
generally supposed to be an explosion
of coal dust 1t is thought this morning
thet the fire in the air shaft has been
exJinguised, and that q small body Of
flames exists between the air and the
main shafts, which may be conquered,
when an attempt will be made to bring
air in and begin the work of rescue. A
late shift that came up reported nearing
picks striking on the opposite side of the
walls. There is q feeling of hope, out
thai hope is unfortunately faint.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.
NANAIMO, B. c., May 5.-A terrible eX-
plosion of gas has taken place in No. l
shaft OF the Vancouver COai Company,
in which there was upwards of $50 miners
st the time. The first intimation those
on the surface had of the explosion WAS q
terrific shock, followed by an outOurst of
thick black smoke through the air shaft.
The fist explosion was quickly followed
by q second, stronger than the first,
carrying pieces Of wood, miners lamps,
etc, hundreds of feet into the
air. In few minutes fiapes
commenced to issue through the air
shaft with a loud roaring noise. In a
snort time the tar house caught fire and
was quickly consumed. In the meantime
nine white men and four Cinnamon were
brought up through No. 2, or the hoist
lug shaft. r. Gibson, the Overseer,
escaped from the lower
slope by following his way to the stables,
where he was met by rescuing parties.
Continued attempts to reach the
men have been made,
but they have been able
to rescue only fifteen up to this hour.
They were overcome with afterdamp and
had to be rescued by others. Of those
noble rescuers Samuel Hudson sue
cumbed to the effects of the afterdamp.
The scene around the shaft head is most
The friends of those i'm
prisoned below are looking for the miss
ing. At this hour, 2 p. m, but little hope
is entertained for the safety of the i'm
priS0ned men. The fire is still raging
but it is thought it will soon be got under
control and IeScuing party
will again attempt to Ego below later.
Over One-half the miners employed at the
Vancouver coal mines have families.
Seven Cinnamon and five white men were
brought up dead. AS nearly as can be
ascertsined, there are imprisoned in the
mine tWenty-nine in No. level, twenty
three in the New Slope, twelve in
No. 5 level and twenty-five in
NO q level. 1lese are Gil white men OF
different nationalities. There are besides
between fifty and seventy-five Cinnamon
in the mine. 1t is feared that all the i'm
prisoned men, who number about 100,
will perish of suffocatiOn.
Jules Michael, one of the injured,
stated he was sitting in the cabin at sup
per at No. shaft, when he felt the CON
cussion. All scrambled out. Only
one was saved by his four companions,
whose dead bodies came up in the cage
with him. Michael represents the explo-
sion as something terrible, and says ali
became darkness fifteen feet from the en-
trance to the shaft. Gangs of men have
been endeavOring to eXtinguish the
DANES in No. shaft, and these are be-
ieved now to be dead. A steam fire en-
zine did good work in pumping water
rom the harbor down the sir shaft. A
hand fire engine has been taken down
INTO the mine. Even now fears are enter
aimed that the whole place will be blown